Sanyo's line of
Xacti camcorders have traditionally looked mighty fine on paper, but for one reason or another, expectations haven't exactly been met on the previous iterations. The firm's latest pistol-grip device yet again looked superb at a glance, but
TrustedReviews found that the VPC-HD1000 still wasn't able to live up to its claims. On the upside, reviewers found the design to be "much improved," and the Full HD recording abilities were drooled over as well. Still, the crew couldn't help but be disappointed in the paltry four-megapixel CMOS sensor, and while it did perform "better than its predecessors" as a camcorder, the optical zoom was tagged as "slow," colors seemed slightly oversaturated and you'll still need "plenty of light" in order to get halfway decent results. Furthermore, it was noted that quick changes in scenery caused noticeable pixilation, and shooting in low-light introduced "a lot" of grain. Overall, the HD1000 wasn't totally slammed nor lifted up on a pedestal, but we'd probably hold off on this unless you're cool with a "jack of two trades, but master of neither."
posted Nov 18th 2007 2:48AM
Owner of camcorder since 93, they got smaller(thank god) last was the sony pc 100
because it had a mega pixel still function. I am 70 now and travel about six months of the year in a motor home. Have since 1992. doing less video(seen quite a lot)But are going trolly packing to India for couple of months, bought the HD1000..magic..lense is brilliant much better in dim light.size brilliant fits into pocket.four times as good as the old Sony.(no hard drive, not good when rough travelling)you can get a little lacie drive to download 80gig..who will watch more tyhan 20hrs travel anyway (have 50inch plasma because of partner eye trouble...fills screen v well
osc
Doesn't seem like a great idea to try to push that thing through the security checkpoint at your local airport...
At least the thing looks more professional this time round. But it won't stop the calls of watergun! lasergun!
Is there a decent compact camrecorder that records compressed 720p other than this one that records on to flash and is priced for consumers? Have I missed it or isn't it here yet?
I though canon had it but they chose to record only in jpeg video... congrats to canon for a waste of effort...
Someone in their design department is into vintage Star Trek.
Regards,
Richard Day Gore
DON'T TAZE WITH THAT SHIT ME BRO
This camera sells for $700. Just put another $100 to the table and get the much better Canon HV20 (which is already legendary and voted best camcorder of the year). Except the smaller size, this Sanyo video camera does absolutely nothing better than the HV20. It would have been a cool purchase if the price was at about $400, but at $700 is already outrun by the HV20.
The HV20 doesn't seem so bad. But it records on Mini-DV tape with HDV. I think moving away from the tape is one of the points here. And greater compression another point. Working directly with files and flash memory a third point. I've read it shoots great video, the HV20, but they should have moved to AVC and flash.
I agree that AVCHD is preferable to HDV in terms of convenience. In fact I blogged here how AVCHD will eventually overthrow HDV: http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/09/30/hdv-vs-avchd/
However, until that day comes and a really good AVCHD camera comes out, the HV20 is still a better camera in both manual controls and quality.
I have the HV20 and it shoots great video! I do a lot of shooting of events that I go to. Sometimes events are 4-6 hours and long 2 days straight. Imagine trying to offload your 1st days work onto your PC at night to get your camcorder ready for the 2nd day and then 2 days later you go to another event, just way too much work! Tapeless also seems nice until you run out of HD space on your computer and then you find out very quickly how screwed you are, not good. Yes tapeless can hold hours of vids but at the lowest picture quality.
Tapes are easy to swap out and very cheap. However if you are going to do some casual recording hear and there and you have a TON of processing power, then knock yourself out!
If video quality is most important, then the Canon HV20 is a good choice (especially if you use its 24 FPS mode). If camera size or having flash memory is more important, then AVCHD may be a good choice. But AVCHD isn't more convenient than HDV if you want to edit your footage - AVCHD workflow can be a real pain... Also note that AVCHD quality can't compete with good HDV quality until someone implements a higher AVCHD bit rate (eg 15-20 MBPS instead of 11 MBPS)...
Perhaps don't use this in an area which has badly trained, militraized cops.
i.e. All of the United States
You know I wish all the cops in the US would take a week vacation, show you how important they are. I don't have any cop friends or family, but it still irritates me to see people bashing on them.
looks awsome. But i cant afford a HD camera xD.
So, all else aside, they are "disappointed in the paltry four-megapixel CMOS sensor"
How many megapixels in a true HD image? And when does a company get to call a device HD if it's short of HD? It's not like there is some sort of regulatory body out there.
They were complaining that the camera function of it was capable of 4 MP. As a camcorder, it records at 1080p, which is by all standards "HD".
Anyway, they should know better than to judge a camera by its pixel count. You can stick a 8 MP CMOS sensor in a cellphone, but the images are still going to look like shit. Its the sensor size and quality and the quality of the optics that matters.
Why compare it to the Cannon?
The portability can't be compared!
exactly!! spot on mate
As a counterpoint, I've been using a Xacti C6 for a couple of years now, and am extremely happy. It may not have the best final quality or light sensitivity, but the tiny form factor means it is almost always with us, in my pocket or my wifes purse. The worst video camera is the one that you left at home because it was too clunky. As long as Sanyo hasn't messed up the size, this new one is probably a winner from that point of view.
Have been using a Sanyo HD1 for the past 1.5 years and cannot be happier. Sure, its 720p video cannot be compared to a 3 CCD AVCHD camcorders and its photos is no match for my Canon DSLR but I can fit neither in a jean pocket when I am on the go.
Sure, you can spend a hundred or two more to get a camcorder but that is the same as saying spend a few hundred or more and you can get a better performing desktop compared to that laptop.
It does NOT record 1080p. It is 1080i. See 2nd page of review, first paragraph.
I bought the Sanyo HD1000. I think it's great. The size, weight, portability is exactly what I'm after. The pistol grip styling was another big selling point if not fashion point.
In terms of video quality. Don't bash it until you've seen it. It has amazing picture. Granted it may not be as full spec'd as other available video camcorders, it's not a problem at all when you see the stunning HD video.
Go ahead and buy the Canon if that's what you like, but I bought the Sanyo and think it's great.
The simple interface make it easy to use for those who are less technical. Thus it makes videoing fun. The style sure stands out from the clunky wrist bending video cameras out there.
Gripes:
1. SD HC is not cheap. I can record on normal cards though. 4 GB & 8 GB cards is what it can take. On Full HD, the cards can be used quickly and thus you'll need to either have more SD cards or a way to move the video off to a HD.
2. It gets a little warm on continual use.
Overall, I love it.
When you mention it gets a little warm after continual use are you saying after 5-10 minutes or longer.
How long have you had the HD 1000?
Thanks,
Todd
Have been using the Xacti C5 for a few years now. The size and weight are really what make the Xacti series worth the money. I sometimes keep it in my shirt pocket, thats how small and light it is. My only complaint has been its performance under low light conditions. So I would really like to know if there has been a solid improvement there (the C5 is already unusable in medium light conditions - like churches, some cafes or outside on the street in the evening). But with 4 generations since (C6, HD1, HD2 and now HD1000) there is probably already a lot of progress.
This would be the BEST CAMCORDER IN THE MARKET IF it was 1080P and not 1080i, if there was a 24P frames option. Also this would be a great camera if it had 3CCD or 3CMOS with a different recording format instead of MPEG4 or H.264. Sanyo is on the money, they realize that going tapeless is great for consumers because you don't have to recapture on PC or MAC after, thus saving lots of time. I was reading on other threads that people want to be able to store footage somewhere, check this video out. This is impressive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10CMj0FvIsc&feature=related
My first digital camera was the Xacti C-1. I now have the HD1. Both cameras Have exceded my expectations in all aread except for the lack of steady-cam. The C-1 did not even try but the HD1 claimes to have a digital image stabalization, I have never been able to tell the difference with it on or off. I have my fingers crossed that they have fixed this with the HD1000 but I have already found one review complaining about it. Has it at least improved on what it has built into the HD1? and regards to the 4mp I am not worried. My C-1 took great shots with only 3mp. (I think the size of the lense has a lot to do with it). I really want to get this camera but dont want people to scoff at the shakey video.